Golden Braids
by LizzyLovesPink
Summary: Vash finds a young girl out in the rain and, despite being unable to properly take care of himself due to finances, takes her in. He starts to grow fond of the girl, although it looks like she wants to hold onto her past a big longer. Human AU, SwissLiech.


**Author's Note: Did I spell everything right? I think I took 'Human AU' a bit too seriously...**

What was he doing? He could barely afford food for himself, there was no way he could feed this girl too. Yet here he was, carrying a homeless girl on his back to his place just because he couldn't afford to see her die. Or even worse, live with the guilt that he just left her there to die. She started to slide down his back, so he quickly readjusted his hand and pushed her back up gently. She opened her emerald-green eyes slightly and coughed. "Y-you d-d-don't have to do this for me..." She stammered weakly.

"I'll hear none of that! I'm taking you back to my place for tonight. Tomorrow you may decide what you want to do once you have more strength in your body." Vash demanded, which kept her quiet. She closed her eyes again and leaned into Vash's back, coughing again.

"You're too nice..." She struggled to smile, but he could see the compassion in her eyes. They walked for a while, the journey back to his house taking longer than it should've because of the rain. The rain poured out of gutters and caused the broken streets to become flooded in mud and slippery rainwater, so he slipped several times. He never once let go of the girl, however. Soon they reached his house just as a loud crack of thunder sounded, causing the girl to scream and tightly hug Vash's back.

"Are you okay?" He asked in alarm.

"Y-yes...I'm just not very good in thunderstorms..." He held onto both of her small hands with one of his bigger ones as his other hand dug through his coat pocket for his house key, the search made even harder by the nearly blackened sky. The girl held onto his hand as if it was a line cast out to her in the middle of the ocean and was the only thing saving her from drowning. He dug deeper into his pocket for the key, eventually switching hands and pockets.

"Where is that damn key..." He muttered to himself, hoping the girl hadn't heard. It looked like she had a rough night, the last thing he wanted to do was to make her think he had locked them out of his house. Soon he came across it, a small brass key hanging onto a string that he rarely tied around his neck. He slowly slipped it into the lock, turning it only when he heard the satisfying click. He pushed open the heavy door with his foot, still putting his focus on the girl. He laid her down gently on his soft, deep blue couch and lit a lamp.

It was at this point that the girl's true features fully came out to him. She was covered in dirt from head to toe and was dressed in a gown that must've been beautiful once. The dress was full-skirted and a deep shade of pink, although Vash had no idea if it was truly pick or just badly blood-stained. A white, lacy pinafore apron had been pinned to the front of it, although that too was badly stained and dirty. A huge chunk had been torn out of the bottom of it, making Vash wonder if she had seen some part of the recent war after all. Her tights were stained and had large holes in them, and her black Mary-Janes had holes in the back, likely attracting all kinds of liquid filth inside. What most caught his attention, however, were her long braids. They had most certainly been beautiful at one time, much like her dress, and they were the brightest shade of gold ever known to man. They were once plump and full, but now they were tangled, ratty, soaked, and firmly caked in mud. All of her was once beautiful. That's what he had decided, and he would help her restore at least some of that former grace.

"Ummmm, is there a reason why you're staring at me?" She asked politely but shyly. He snapped out of his trance and cleared his throat.

"I was just staring at how dirty you are. My first goal is to get you into a nice, hot bath, doesn't that sound nice?" He asked, trying to sound nice. Being nice was easy for him, sounding nice was a challenge all by itself. He had been raised to be rough and childhood habits are difficult to break.

"I think I should ask your parents-" He quickly cut her off.

"Don't bother, I live alone. I started building weapons for the solders in my nation and made a small fortune, so I bought myself this house. It's just you and me." She visibly blushed at this, but nodded. "Come, I'll show you to the bathroom." He reached for her hand and gently grasped it, pulling her off the couch and leading her into the bathroom.

The bathroom was just a small room directly across from what she assumed to be his bedroom, and to her surprise, the bathroom door was wide open. She carefully stepped inside and looked back at him. "Wait, what about new clothes for me? You don't look like the kind of person to just leave a young girls' outfit lying around." She meant it seriously, but Vash partially took it as a joke.

"Don't worry about it." He stated, and she just nodded and shut the door. The girl was so mysterious to him, he didn't even know her name. she spoke Swiss just like him, so perhaps she was from his country? Then again, even the hardest-hit by the war didn't look as bad as she did. He sighed and ventured into his room to look for possible clothes for her.

The girl, meanwhile, was currently soaking in a hot bath, her first in what seemed like months. At the moment, the details of how exactly she ended up in her position were all fuzz to her food-depraved brain. All she could piece together was her name and that she once lived with a high-ranking noble family in what was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That's right, she was an Austrian princess! Something in the back of her mind told her that she wasn't purely Austrian, but if she was only half Austrian, she wasn't sure what the other half was. She slowly extended one leg up and slowly lathered it up with the rough soap, making sure to cover every inch. The soap was rough and foreign on her skin, but sweet-smelling. After her body had been cleansed, she turned her attention to her long-neglected hair.

She struggled to pull the tangled mess out of the braids, and soon she was in tears from the pain. She found a soft-bristled brush on the man's sink and roughly pulled through her left braid, soon feeling it come undone after ten tries. The right braid came out with only eight tries but more pain than the first. She then started to brush out the soggy, filthy mess of hair on her head. She struggled with tough tangles several times and had to use her fingers on some tougher curls. She looked in the mirror with a sigh, her hair had gotten as good as it was going to get. She was startled by a sudden knock on the door.

"I got some clothes for you. I'm leaving them outside the door so you can get them when you're ready." Vash stated, then left. The girl carefully wrapped a soft towel around her body and opened the door, her eyes soon lighting up at what was hanging on the knob. She put on the old underwear she had been wearing before, hoping that this man could maybe get her a new pair. She slowly pulled the pink silk shirt on over her head and pulled it down, already in love with its texture. She tied the red bow around her collar to make herself look presentable. Next was a heavy, dark blue apron that she assumed he wanted her to wear like a dress. She carefully tugged it on over her head too and was pleased that the apron had a full back to it. Her tights were still ruined, so she took to wearing the heavy brown boots bare. She brushed her hair out more and delicately braided it, then stepped back to admire herself.

"Wow, is that really me?" She asked in awe, touching the mirror. She slowly bundled up her old clothes in her arms and stepped out of the bathroom, walking around until she found the man cooking in the kitchen. "Um, what do you want me to do with these?" She asked shyly.

"Put them in that basket over there, I'll wash them when I wash them." Vash was currently stirring a big pot of stew over the stove, hoping the aroma reached the mystery girl. It was a stew made out of leftover meat and some very old vegetables, so it wasn't his best work. It was also going to be all his, until he happened upon the girl.

"What are you cooking? It smells delicious." She stood up on her tippytoes to gaze into the pot, finding a brown, bubbling delicacy.

"It's a meat stew. Money's really tight at the moment, so I'm not too sure on the taste. I'm sure you won't mind though, am I right?" He took a careful look at the girl and decided she looked much better after bathing, although her hair was still unruly. He smiled to himself, happy that he had been able to restore a bit of her former beauty. He dipped the ladle into the stew and brought up a heaping spoonful. "Here, why don't you try a bite?" He handed the ladle to her, and she happily sipped it into her mouth.

"Wow, this is good!" She smiled. Vash took out an extra bowl and started serving them, giving the girl a little extra.

"So tell me, what is your name?" He set her bowl down directly across from his and took a seat.

"My name...?" She asked, puzzled. She also took a seat and promptly started eating, although Vash wasn't sure if it was from hunger or trying to avoid answering. After her bowl was half-empty, she looked up at him. "My name? It's Erika. Erika Vogel." She kept eating.

"Vash Zwingli." He started eating too, focusing on Erika again. He placed her age as being only thirteen, which means she must've at least heard of the war in Europe. It had ended only a year ago, after all, and a majority of Europe was badly shaken from it. He had managed to get himself into near-poverty after the war because taxes ran too high, but he had been doing just fine on his own. Erika pushed her empty bowl towards him. "Do you want any more?" She only nodded. He got up and got the pot from the kitchen and poured the rest into her bowl, nearly overfilling it.

"I-I think this might be a bit too much..." She started to say, but quickly stopped. She was hungry, was she not? At the very least, he was just trying to be polite. She picked up her spoon and started eating again.

"Are you thirsty?" He asked, offering a glass full of milk to her. She took it and drowned it quickly, leading to a second, then a third. "This milk is really sweet! It's goat's milk, isn't it?" He looked visibly surprised at this.

"Yes it is...how did you know that?"

"My mother was from Liechtenstein, a small nation that is nestled in your Alps. She raised goats for a living, so I know a lot about them." Erika answered almost nonchalantly.

"That's interesting." He picked up his bowl and spoon and placed them in the sink.

"Yeah, but she soon fell in love with an Austrian man who soon became my father. So I'm half Austrian." She handed the empty glass to him and yawned.

"You need to sleep, you look like you've been through a lot." He picked her up out of her chair and held her in his arms.

"You have a guest room? But your house is so tiny!" Erika exclaimed.

"I don't, so take your pick, the couch or my room." He started carrying her over to the couch.

"Could I sleep with you, at least for tonight? I've been alone for so long, it'd be nice to have someone so close to me, especially someone as nice as you." She snuggled into his chest. He shrugged and turned around, carrying her to his room. Vash carefully bundled her up in his blankets, making sure she got more than him. Afterwards, he crawled in next to her and turned away so his back was to her. After he heard no noise from her for a bit, he turned back around to discover that Erika had truly fallen asleep, and by the looks of it, a very deep sleep. He wondered what she was dreaming of, maybe she was dreaming about being back home in Liechtenstein. He didn't know much about it, although he did know it was similar to his native country, Switzerland. Any nation that was nestled in the Alps was bound to as beautiful as Erika, he decided. In the morning, he figured he'd try to ask her why she was all alone in that alleyway only that previous night.

%%%%%%%%%

The next morning, Vash awoke to find that Erika was nowhere to be found. In a panic, he flew into a flurry around his room, struggling to find her. He checked every room in his house, even the ones she had no knowledge of, then moved his search outside. He soon found her standing in front of a tree, and in the process of pulling her dress back into place. He called her name to get her attention, which caused her to freak out and spin around in a rush. "A-ah, Vash! I had no idea you'd be out here at this early hour!"

"Calm down, whatever you were doing, I'm not mad about it. I was just worried about where you went, that's all." He stated, then turned to go back inside.

"I'm sorry for worrying you like that." Erika apologized.

"Like I said, it's fine. Come on inside for some breakfast. Sadly, I have some business to do today so you'll have to manage by yourself for a bit." He lead Erika back into the house and sat down in his usual seat to eat his breakfast. Erika sat down too, but was a bit more hesitant about eating hers.

"Um, would it be okay if I visited an old friend of mine? I need some new clothes and I feel like she could help me." She stated. Vash looked up.

"Who is she?"

"A former noble woman that lost almost everything in the war, including her now ex-husband. I used to be under their care for quite some time and was considered to be a princess by them. It was in no means official, but since I was part Austrian and her husband was Austrian, he always thought it was fun to call me his little Austrian princess." Erika blew on her porridge to cool it.

"What is the woman's name, Erika?"

"Erzsébet..." She shoved a spoonful into her mouth. "She's Hungarian, if you can't tell by the name."

"I don't trust people from the Western half of Europe very much. Then again, I trust people from the Eastern half even less. However, you know her, and you do need new clothes, so I suppose I can allow you to go with her." Vash stood up and started washing his dish out in the sink. Erika's eyes lit up happily.

"Really? Oh, thank you, thank you! I promise that I'll stay out of trouble!" She ran into the bathroom to work on brushing her hair again while Vash got changed for work. The uniform was a simple brown pantsuit with a double-breasted black coat over it, and then he put a black beret on his head to finish it. He took his gun off the wall and headed out for work, hoping Erika would be fine by herself.

%%%%%%%

"It was really nice of you to take me out shopping, Erzsébet!" Erika smiled as the two walked through downtown Bern.

"Don't mention it! I had a little extra money left over and I thought: 'Somewhere there is a non-blood daughter out there who may want a new dress,' and as it turns out, you do!" The Hungarian woman smiled brightly.

"Yeah, the war was tough on me. It's not even a dress I'm wearing, it's a work apron..." Erika admitted, looking down.

"Don't worry about what it is, just worry about what'll soon replace it!" Erzsébet exclaimed. "Oh, this store looks like fun!" She pulled Erika into a small dress shop that had dresses and hats lining every wall. Several shoe boxes were stacked clumsily on one wall, while tall mirrors lined another. The store had a very classical feel to it that almost made Erika feel like she was living in a grand mansion again.

"I don't even know my size though..." She looked down again.

"That's not a problem either, we can just try on outfits until we find one that fits!"

"That sounds pretty reckless..." Erzsébet grabbed her hand and thrusted her in front of one of the mirrors.

"Now, is there anything in particular you know you want?" She asked, running her finger through Erika's smooth but thick braids.

"For some reason, I really want something in pink. The color just seems so innocent to me." Erzsébet left and came back with a bundle in her arms.

"Try this outfit on, I think you'll like it." Erika nodded and slipped into a dressing room to change. She unfolded the dress and revealed a true vintage charm. It was a long lacy pink dress with a high neck and frills on the bottom hem. The dress was striped, but one would have to look close to tell, as the stripes were in slightly differing hues of pink. Erzsébet even picked out a fresh pair of pristine white tights and polished black Mary-Janes for her. Erika smiled as she held the dress to her heart, too afraid the dream will end if she put it on.

Eventually she decided to try the outfit on and spun around several times in the dressing room out of happiness. She took the bow from her original outfit and tied it to the collar of her current dress, confident that the look was complete. She walked out and spun around for Erzsébet.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Erika! If only Roderich could see you..." She trailed off, so Erika changed the subject.

"Don't you want to buy a new dress too?" She pointed to the Hungarian's lime green suitdress which tightly hugged her curves.

"Why would I? There's nothing wrong with this one." She stood in front of a mirror to readjust the rolling brown locks that had fallen out of the giant hat, not noticing Erika glaring slightly at her.

"Yes, there's nothing wrong with it, except for the fact your huge breasts are on full display." She muttered bitterly. Erzsébet ran back over to her.

"Are we done here? If so, we should pay and start heading back home. I'm due to perform in a public concert in," She pulled out a pocket-watch from her breast pocket and loudly gasped at it. "Oh no, ten minutes! The park is about twenty miles away, I don't think we can make it!" She grabbed Erika's arm in one hand and threw a large wad of money onto the counter with the other. "Come on, I can't be late!" She ran at top speed to a small park at the edge of downtown, completely forgetting all about poor Erika.

"Slow down, Miss Erzsébet! I can barely keep up!" Erika cried, although Erzsébet didn't stop. Soon they reached the park, which had a small stage set up in the center. Wooden benches were set up in five rows in front of the stage, and several were already filled. Three men and one woman were already on stage, tuning their instruments. The woman looked up from her saxophone and waved at Erzsébet.

"Hello, Erzsébet! You made it just in time for our concert! Of course, being punctuational is your middle name, am I right?" The woman giggled. Erika recognized the dark-haired man at the piano as Roderich. She waved, but he didn't notice her. The other two men were on different instruments, one was on a bass and the other on a guitar. Erika looked around for Erzsébet and soon found her on-stage. The woman was tuning a maple-colored violin.

"Whoa, who is that cute little girl you brought with you, Erzsébet! She's so pretty!" The man with the bass smiled at Erika. He pulled a rose out of his pocket and handed it to her. Erika found herself lost in his honey-colored eyes briefly.

"I'm Feliciano, and this is my brother, Lovino!" He continued, then hopped back on-stage. "And the man on the piano is Roderich, and the saxophone girl is Laura!"

"Are you guys ready for some music?" Laura asked the crowd. She was met with cheers. Erika promptly sat in a seat that was closest to the stage.

Erzsébet started off by playing a long, low note on her violin. Erika leaned forward in her seat slightly. Roderich joined in by matching the note perfectly, then the two started playing in perfect harmony. The result was a sad song. It was almost longing in a way as if it was asking for better days in the past. The other three soon joined in softly, and Erika was amazed by how perfectly their sound blended in together. She never knew that even something like a saxophone could sound sad, but she was proven wrong. She closed her eyes and pictured being back in that grand mansion, leaning on Roderich's piano and listening to him play. It was easy to get lost in it, and she always did. Soon the song was over and she leapt out of her seat and started clapping.

"That was really good!" She praised. The people on stage bowed and Erzsébet ran down to Erika.

"Wasn't it amazing?" She asked. Erika nodded. "I knew you'd like it. We've been practicing forever."

"I wish I could learn how to play something like that." Erika glanced at the violin.

"Maybe you could ask Roderich, he seems really eager to teach someone piano." Erzsébet climbed back onto-stage and started packing up her violin.

"Hey, I gotta get back home. Can one of you take me back home? I don't feel very safe wondering this city by myself..." Erika looked away shyly.

"No problem! My brother and I can take you home, right Lovino?" Feliciano smiled and looked back at the taller man. Lovino just shrugged and started to put up his guitar. Laura had surprisingly already left, and Roderich was currently packing up with help from Erzsébet. Soon both brothers had packed up and walked offstage to where Erika was.

"How can you carry such a heavy instrument?" She inquired, pointing at Feliciano's case.

"When you carry things like that for a long time, you get pretty damn good at it." Lovino commented.

"Anyway, where do you live, pretty lady?" Feliciano asked.

"I live at Vash's place...do you guys know where that is?" She said, and they both nodded.

"Vash doesn't appreciate my brother being on his property too much. We'll try our best though." Lovino smirked. Erika smiled and started leading the way slightly, the two men being weighed down by their instrument cases. The three made some small talk on the way, mostly consisting of Erika asking the two if they miss their home in Italy and what they're doing in Switzerland. She was also asked in return how she was liking Switzerland so far. Her answer was that it was very spacious, especially the capital, and she was worried about getting lost.

"That's why I asked for some help getting home." She concluded.

"A pretty girl like you should be careful in the big city! I wouldn't want anyone to snatch you up!" Feliciano giggled.

"Don't mind my brother, he considers himself to be quite smooth with the ladies." Lovino grabbed Erika's hand and pulled it close to him. "Of course, so do I." Erika politely took her hand back.

"Well, here's Vash's house! I hope you had a fun time at the concert!" Feliciano stated before taking off, Lovino running after him. Erika wondered why the two were in such a hurry, but decided it wasn't her business. She slowly opened the front gate to the house and tried opening the door, only to find it locked. She worried that maybe Vash was still at work and she would be locked out for most of the night. she loudly knocked and relaxed when she saw the lock turn. Vash opened the door and expressed surprise at seeing her there.

"Whoa, Erika...you look...different." He stated. She nodded.

"Erzsébet bought me some new clothes. Do you like them?" She spun around for him, the skirt gracefully twirling with her. He nodded and cleared his throat.

"You look...cute." He stepped out of the doorway and allowed her to enter. She happily ran inside.

"I was wondering something..."

He shut the door. "What?"

"I was wondering if I could call you something. After all, you've been so kind to me."

"Isn't Vash enough?"

"Well, I meant, like a nickname. A cute one." She sat on his couch.

"A cute one, eh? What did you have in mind?" The idea certainly intrigued him.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking that you've been really kind to me. you gave me food, and shelter, and clothes...you didn't have to."

"I did it because I felt it was my duty to do so. After all, I couldn't just let you die there."

"You're kind of like...a big brother to me." Her eyes widened. "That's it! I'll call you big Brother! How does that sound?"

"I like that. It seems...fitting, somehow." He got up and walked into the kitchen. "Do you want some hot chocolate?" He asked. Erika nodded eagerly. "I have a question for you, then."

"Yes? What is it, Big Brother?" She looked at him from the back of the couch, getting on her knees.

"What were you doing out there in the first place? After all, you did live in a grand mansion." He started pouring hot milk into two mugs.

"The war took a huge toll on the country I was living in. From what I remember, it was a combined country of Austria and Hungary, but the war broke it apart." She started.

"Go on."

"Roderich and Erzsébet were nobles in this country and were married to each other and decided to adopt me. The war took its toll on nobility too, and soon they found themselves unable to support for themselves. I don't know why they split up, though..." Vash sat back down and handed her a black mug filled with steaming hot chocolate.

"It's okay, don't force yourself. I'm assuming that you left the mansion out of desperation but ended up on the streets? You're too young for something like that." He sipped his.

"I know, but I didn't have much of a choice..." She blew on hers to cool it down.

"It doesn't matter now. What's important is that you're with me now. You may choose to leave here later on once you're ready to support yourself, but until then, I don't mind adopting you." Her eyes lit up again.

"Thank you, Big Brother. You're too kind to me." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't mention it." She leaned on his shoulder. "Also, can I have my work apron back?"

"Alright!" She giggled and started drinking her hot chocolate.


End file.
